Ture Limits
by RedKnightV13
Summary: What drives a man to his limits? Anger? No. Sorrow? No. Pressure? No. Love? Yes. The loss of love can drive a man to near insanity, but not to his true limits. What does is not lossing love but the knowledge that if he fails in his task... he will.
1. Not so new adventurers

Hello readers! This is my first fanfic and I have almost no idea what I'm doing, so I'm just writing a story right now and hoping it works! Like I said this is my first story, but please don't go easy on me. Flame me if you want. I don't want to be pampered.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XI or any of these characters.

The young Hume man, not a day over 20, wearing an all black ninja suit, stood leaning against the wall just outside of the residential area in Bastok. As he waited, many people stared at him, pointing and whispering, gasping and giggling. He paid them no mind as he stood and waited for his friends. This kind of treatment wasn't very rare anyways. He and his friends were all very well known throughout Bastok as one of the top ranking mercenary teams. His friends were all stocking up on potions and such, preparing for the long journey ahead. They would be heading for San d'Oria, as business was dwindling as a mercenary. The only work they got was fighting with gangs and such. They would journey to San d'Oria for their first trip as adventurers. Suddenly a hand clasped his shoulder and he turned to see his friends at his side.

"We're ready to go now, Rio," said another young Hume, this time a female. Her name was Taya, a strong Samurai/Warrior who had been friends with Rio almost all her life. They were very close, almost like brother and sister.

He himself was a very strong and swift Ninja/Dragoon, an odd but effective choice in jobs. A very small Tarutaru with a sturdy build smiled up at him joyfully before his tall, floppy black hat fell over his eyes. The small Black Mage, Zenil, was always fun to have around.

He looked high up over the pair's heads at the face of another friend, a hulking Galka named Cangon. The almighty Galkan Monk/Warrior was a force to be reckoned with.

Rio was suddenly pocked lightly in the back of the head and he spun around to see Mimila, his much younger Mithran White Mage/Bard companion.

Behind her stood two tall, proud Elvann. The first one, a male, was a Paladin/Warrior named Ferzan. The second, Ferzan's wife, was a beautiful female Dark Knight/Warrior named Isanlada, making them an unstoppable pair.

Rio nodded and the rather large group of seven not so new adventurers began their long trudge toward San d'Oria. It was already nearing night by the time they reached the gate to Gustaberg. They passed through the gate and entered Gustaberg where they could see the sun still dangling just above the mountains in the distance.

"We'd better hurry," Rio said to his group of friends. "The sun will be setting soon."

The others nodded silently as they followed Rio into Gustaberg. As they walked, Rio and the others watched the scenery around them. Few other adventurers were out at this time. Most were either at or going to their mog houses, or pitching tent for their well-earned rest for the night. The best part about staying in Bastok was that the monsters in Gustaberg were all too stupid to ever go poking their heads into tents. Of the few that would still attack the campers if they were outside, the adventurers would merely light a fire to scare them away. But quadavs were the only monsters that weren't afraid of fires. So the adventurers still had to be cautious. When the sun was halfway behind the mountains, Rio finally halted them for the night.

"Finally, we can get some resty-westy" said Zenil, plopping down on his butt. The group had walked for hours without talking and hearing the young Taru's childish accent sparked conversation. Mimila joined Zenil on the floor as the two Elvann lovers sat together and watched the sunset. Rio, his wyvern Sieg suddenly at his side, busied himself with building a fire. Cangon was occupied with setting up the tents. Taya was left to herself with nothing to do. She looked around at everyone and saw them all content with what they were doing and she was left completely alone.

Rio finished off the fire and the group began to gather around it. He looked around at the smiling faces of his friends when he realized something was missing. _Where's Taya? _He asked himself. He looked around and saw the young Hume woman absentmindedly picking at her short skirt, staring into space. Sieg fluttered from Rio's shoulder to Taya's as Rio walked to her.

Taya was brought out of her trance by the light pressure on her shoulder by Sieg and she looked up as Rio came to her.

"You should be more careful," Rio said sternly as she smiled at him. "Something could sneak up behind you and cut you down."

Taya's smile faded and she looked away, hugging her knees under her chin. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"Don't be. I'm just worried about you," Rio said shaking his head. He walked and squatted down in front of her as he said this.

She smiled at him again weakly, her fatigue and loss of energy completely apparent on her face. She lay her head down on Rio's shoulder and closed her eyes, nearly falling asleep right there.

Rio smiled softly and stroked her raven black hair. She felt so delicate and small, nearly weightless on his shoulder, but he knew she was strong both physically and mentally. Her long straight hair made a soft, glistening wall down Rio's chest as she lay on his shoulder. Sieg sat on his right.

Ferzan looked over his shoulder at the two Humes and smiled. Isanlada turned to him, then looked off at what he was staring at. She too smiled. "New love blooms. We might have another wedding on our hands someday soon," she said quietly to her beloved husband.

"Yes, my dear Isanlada," Ferzan said, his smile widening into a large grin. "I think we just might."

Sorry about making this chapter so short, but I felt it that that would be a good line to end off on. You may notice that I have a somewhat distinct, I think, way of writing the romance. It occurs early on, instead of the sappy endings with their first kiss right at the end. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! Expect the next one very soon! See ya! (Please RR)


	2. Another day in their great adventure

Hello again, readers! Glad to see me back so soon? I still haven't gotten any reviews but I hope that's only because no one's read my story yet! I promise to make this chapter longer than the first one so, here goes!

The rather large group of adventurers continued on through Gustaberg, headed for San d'Oria. They had been traveling for an entire day and they still hadn't gotten out of Gustaberg or run into any enemies. They were all eager and quite bored.

Zenil fidgeted, his eyes looking this way and that, searching the area for any worthy opponents. He was about ready to attack anything he saw. He was so outrageously bored due to his short attention span and energetic personality.

Cangon kept a straight face, but inside he too was growing quite bored and very eager. You could see it in his hardened light brown eyes. He carried Mimila on his back. She had become so bored that she had fallen asleep or fainted. No one could tell.

Ferzan and Isanlada were nearly unaffected by the long traveling in silence, as they were always content with just about anything as long as they were together.

Rio and Taya walked side by side in the front of the group, trying to think of something to lighten the mood. As they thought, Rio toyed with the small gems on the end of the hilts of his two short swords. Taya fiddled with the Bastokan ring around her finger.

"ARGH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

Mimila was rudely awoken from her sleep and everyone jumped at the sudden sound. Zenil yanked his staff from his back and charged away from the group, attacking anything and everything in his path.

The rest of the group just stared in awe as the little Tarutaru dashed off like a mad man. Mimila smiled, jumping off of Cangon's back, and ran off to join the little Taru. Taya, Ferzan, Isanlada, and Cangon all turned to Rio. He shrugged and then dashed off after his friends, Cangon and the others right behind.

(Ten hours and sixty thousand monsters later)

The large group of adventurers sat around another blazing fire together. Rio had given them all a bag of marshmallows and they had already gone through half of them, roasting them over the fire. Their packs were just about all full with lizards' tails and bird feathers and even bags of seeds.

Zenil lay on his back; belly bloated, and was already snoring quietly. Mimila lay curled up around him, acting as a heat insulator for Zenil and using his squishy stomach as a pillow. Cangon had built their tent around them.

The Elvann couple sat together, roasting marshmallows while they talked to each other in the Elvann language.

Rio, Taya, and Cangon sat on the other side of the fire all talking to one another about random things. Taya leaned on Rio's shoulder, obviously quite tired. Rio had his arm around her waist as he debated with Cangon whether or not weapons are truly useful. They had been going at it for hours, neither ever giving up.

Taya sat beside Rio, resting her head on his shoulder, and she was again left to her own thoughts. She never truly enjoyed being with her own thoughts, but it was comforting to be alone and not have to worry about how she looked or acted. She could be in her own little world where she controlled everything. She could be what she wanted, have what she wanted... and be with who she wanted. The thought always made her blush and this time was no exception. She quickly turned away from everyone, trying to hide her blushing.

Rio noticed the movement and finally ended his quarrel with Cangon. He turned and looked down at the back of Taya's head. He used his other hand; the one not wrapped around her waist, and turned her head to him. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

Taya, suddenly taken from her personal thoughts, smiled sweetly and asked quietly, "What are you talking about?" Her blush had not fully gone away, but it was enough to make one think it was only the light of the fire.

Rio shrugged and let his hand drop from under her chin and land back in his lap. "Whatever. Never mind," he said.

Taya sighed silently, mentally wiping sweat from her forehead, and leaned on him again. Cangon, content with knowing that Rio would obviously be up for a continuation of their argument the next day, stood and walked away into his own tent. He had his own personal tent, as he was almost too big for it by himself.

Rio and Taya sat together, talking with Ferzan and Isanlada. They talked about plans for what they would do when they reached San d'Oria and about when they would leave. They decided that when they got to San d'Oria they would split up and do whatever and once they were all ready to leave they would send a message to everyone else that they were ready. Once everyone was ready, they would leave.

"Alright. Sounds good," Rio said through a yawn. He had grown weary from massacring all those beastmen and then spending so much time talking with every one. He was about to fall asleep right there. He stood up and began to walk to the tent he and Zenil shared. "Well, I'm going to bed. Good night everyone."

"Goodnight," Ferzan, Isanlada, and Taya said together. "Well, I guess we should get to bed too. We still have quite a bit of traveling to do," Ferzan said as he and Isanlada stood and walked to their tent.

Taya stood up and looked around. "Um... where do I sleep? Zenil took my spot with Mimila," she said to no one in particular.

"You can sleep with Rio," Isanlada said with a mischievous smile as she slipped into her tent, Ferzan following close behind.

Rio laid in his tent on top of the blankets, resting the back of his head in his hands, His legs crossed at the ankles. He kept thinking about San d'Oria. Would it be any different from Bastok? And then he began to think about Bastok, his home. How long will it be before I return? Will it be any different when I do? The zipper of the tent's entrance opening interrupted all of his thoughts.

"Hello," Taya said sleepily as she crawled up next to him, getting under the covers and closing her eyes. She scooted over closer to Rio and was now lying with her head on his chest, trying to fall asleep.

_What is she doing?!_ Rio thought franticly at the gesture. _Why is she in my tent? Where's Zenil? Why is she getting so close to me?_

As if she could read his mind, Taya began to answer his questions. "Zenil fell asleep with Mimila and there was nowhere else I could go but in here with you. I kind of like it though. You're so warm." She looked up at him with a bright smile that could thaw any heart.

Rio, finally recovered from his shock, cocked an eyebrow and sighed. "Alright. Whatever you say. Don't know why you can't just wake up Zenil though," he said.

Taya frowned and made puppy dog eyes at him. "You don't like me, do you?" she said in false sadness.

Rio laughed and put his arms around her waist again. Taya laughed with him, cuddling up closer and draping her arm over his chest. "Of course I like you," Rio said, hugging her lightly. They stayed that way for the rest of the night, until they finally fell asleep. When Rio finally woke up, the sun had risen and he could hear the others ruffling around in their blankets, obviously just waking up themselves.

Taya crawled up next to him and sat down, hugging her legs up to her chest. "Good morning, Rio. Did you sleep well?" she asked him.

Rio sat up, yawning, and rubbed his eyes. "Well enough," he answered, grabbing his two short swords from the corner of the tent. He stood up, bending over so he didn't hit the ceiling, and exited the tent, Taya right behind him. He scratched his head and stretched, looking around at the other clusters of tents as their occupants began waking up and coming out of their tents. He turned around and checked inside the tent to see if there were any items in there, then began to take it down. He finished packing it up just when the others were coming out of their own tents.

Zenil popped out of the tent, very happy and bouncy. He obviously had a good night's rest. Mimila came out a few minutes later, stretched and yawned, then began to take down her tent. Taya walked over to help her out. Ferzan and Isanlada came out of their own tent and they began to take down their tent.

The start of another day of their first great adventure.

Thank for reading and look forward to the next chapter. If you don't want to hear what happens, skip this next paragraph.

The group finally leaves Gustaberg (Sorry it took so long. For their traveling through La Theine and the Valkrum Dunes, I'll be skipping them and the story will start again as they finally reach Ronfaure) They get attacked by a large group of orcs (You finally get to see some action!) and once the battle is over they begin to wonder about why they were attacked by such a large group, but soon reach the huge gates of San d'Oria and that interrupts their thoughts. End.

And that's what happens! Please read the next chapter, review it, and before you go on to that chapter, review this one. See ya soon!


	3. San d'Oria and the orc hoarde

Hello again readers and welcome to chapter three! dances around joyfully Thanks a lot for the review, Masaname! And to blackwidow13, I do play the game and I am now a warrior. I plan on becoming a paladin. My current character is in the Garuda server and his name is Zepheral. I'll be making a new one soon and I'm putting him on the Alexander server. Maybe if you have a character on either server we could meet sometime. Btw, sorry about stealing the name of your story. I didn't think it was taken. The second chapter of ATOF should be up by now! Now on with the show! dances joyfully

"We've finally made it to San d'Orian land. We'll be in San d'Oria soon enough guys. Just hold out until then and then you can all go off and do what you want," Rio said over his shoulder to the rest of the group. They all nodded or cheered (Zenil).

"We'll finally-winally be able to have some fun! I can't wait!" Zenil exclaimed. Everyone laughed as he hopped around energetically. He was always the one to break the ice between people or lighten a mood. And he always did it right when they needed it most.

Rio and Cangon were engulfed in a new argument now. They were feuding over how much strength truly mattered. Even Taya had been pulled into it. "The best offense is a good defense! And a good defense is never getting hit! As long as you don't get hit, you'll be fine! That allows you to keep the attacks coming! And if you know how to use your speed in the right ways, you can easily bypass any defense!" Rio said.

"Even so, a good strong hit can easily crush any armor, tear through any shield, and shatter any weapon! That leaves the enemy wide open for a finishing blow! One, two, and they're down!"

"Neither strength nor speed matters in any way! My blade can cut through anything! Just one swipe and they're on the floor!"

Ferzan and Isanlada watched in amusement as the three bickered with each other. Mimila teased and joked around with Zenil, who was glowing dangerously purple. But she didn't care; she knew Zenil wouldn't hurt her.

They hadn't traveled far when they spotted a fellow adventurer coming their way. Or more over, running like a mad man, their way. The adventurer was badly wounded and looked very tired.

Mimila ran forward and caught the person before he fell. Laying him down on the floor, she quickly healed him and his eyes opened. The rather old Hume man gasped and began to crawl away, fearfully kicking the ground as he tried to run, but was unable to due to his remaining wounds. It was a surprise that he even survived. He had many deep gashes on his legs and arms, and even a few across his back and chest. The right side of his face was plastered with dry blood from a still open wound on his forehead.

Rio kneeled down beside the man and grabbed him by the arm, making a point to avoid touching any injuries. "What happened to you?" he asked quietly. The man caught his breath but still stared frightfully towards the way he came.

"So many... too many... friends... gone..." he stammered aloud and then ground began to shake violently. The man, his wounds somehow no longer burdening him at all, pulled himself forward and held fast to Ferzan's leg. "Please, Sir knight! Help me!" he shouted. Ferzan knelt down and placed a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "We will help," he said quietly.

The group all turned around together and watched as the ground shook, pebbles and rocks hopping up and down from the ground. Rio pulled his swords from their sheaths and the others followed suit, the wounded man crawling away into a small crevice in the rock.

Suddenly, like a wave of the ocean, what seemed like fifty orcs came storming into the long thin trail. They all stopped and starred at the new group of adventurers that stood in their path. Then, as if they were one, a single cry rang out form the horde and they charged forward.

Ferzan ran out in front of the rest of the group and called out to all of the orcs, cursing them and screaming at them. They all turned to the Elvaan Paladin and raised their axes to kill him in one blow. Ferzan prepared for the worst as he saw an ocean of axes headed straight for him. He gave on swing, shutting his eyes as he did so, and when he opened them again he found a huge section of the orcs crushed by a large meteor. His sword was stuck in the neck of a single orc. He turned around and saw Zenil smiling warmly.

Because of the large roadblock, the orcs were forced to come out around the rock two or three at a time. Taya and Rio took the right side as Ferzan and Isanlada took the left. They easily took down the uncoordinated and defenseless orcs that charged at them. Zenil stood back, protecting Mimila and the wounded Hume man from being attacked by any orcs that slipped by the others.

Rio heard little crunching sounds from on top of the meteor and without saying a word leapt to the top of the large rock. There he found five or so orcs trying to climb over the meteor. One tried to swipe at his foot but he quickly leapt over it, then countered. His short blade sliced the orc's head open and it fell to the ground, blood splattering across the other orcs. Rio continued to do this until each and every one of the orcs trying to climb over the boulder was killed. Then he took a leap of faith, flying high in the air, and dove downward into the huge mass of orcs. The orcs' attention was drawn away from the others and Rio became their target.

Taya, Ferzan, Isanlada, and Zenil charged in to attack the outer rim of the orcs' circle. In the middle of the fray, Rio fought for his life, hacking and slashing all around him, flipping and dashing and jumping and diving, doing all he could to survive. Soon, the orcs' numbers were dwindling and some tried to flee, but Zenil took them out before they got even ten feet from the battlefield.

Rio flipped forward, slicing open the last orc's head in the process, and landed behind it, arms extended behind him. Rio stood up straight and sheathed his swords, then staggered over to lean against the meteor. Taya called Mimila for help as the others tended to their own wounds with torn pieces of cloth.

Mimila arrived quickly and healed Rio, who was sitting on the floor, panting. She then moved on to heal the others.

Rio sat beside the meteor, obviously in deep thought. Cangon sat beside him and watched him silently. "What troubles you, dear friend?" he asked gruffly.

Rio picked at the grass between his feet, staring hard at the floor. He turned his head, looking up at Cangon. "It puzzles me why such a large group of orcs would even think of rallying together like that. They normally work alone, only fighting together if one is attacked, or they all spot the same warrior, but what are the chances that over fifty orcs would have spotted the same adventurer?"

"You speak with wisdom, Rio. There is most definitely something amiss here, and I don't like it. The only way the orcs would rally together like that is if they had a leader. Otherwise they'd be to unorganized to fight together in such a manner," Cangon said.

The sun sat high in the middle of the sky in the forests of Ronfaure. They could tell by the monsters around them that they were nearing San d'Oria.

Mimila shivered and tried to arch her head so she could see over the hill they climbed. "How much longer until we get there?" she whined.

"It shouldn't be long now," Rio said as he trudged along with his friends.

Mimila grew impatient and decided to run ahead of everyone else. When she reached the top of the hill, she froze. There, looming in front of her like a shining light stood the huge walls of the great city of San d'Oria.

The rest of the group ran up to catch up with her and each had the same reaction. After a moment of shocked silence, Zenil cried out with glee and dashed off into the light toward the gate. Mimila ran off to join him and soon the others followed suit. They ran past the guards and through the gate, down the long hall and into southern San d'Oria. They all looked around in wonder at all the Elvaan walking by. There were hundreds of them. And along with the Elvaan you would see other adventurers walking amongst them.

A rather old Elvaan spotted them and walked over joyfully. "Why hello there adventurers! Are you all new to the area?" he asked politely.

Ferzan nodded. "Yes. None of us have ever been to San d'Oria before. Not even my wife and I," he said.

A look of pure horror showed on the Elvaan's face. "You mean to tell me you were wed in a place other than the great San d'Oria?!" the man nearly shouted. Many of the native Elvaan stopped and turned to stare at them.

Isanlada nodded, taking Ferzan's arm. "Yup. We got married in our hometown of Bastok!" she said cheerily.

The man gasped and took a step back, looking as though he had just received a slap in the face. And with his next comment, he would have gotten one if he hadn't taken that one step back. "You were wed in that horrible, filthy dump Humes call a city?!" he shouted.

Rio let out an unexpected growl, balling his fists and glaring at the Elvaan.

"Yes, if you must so rudely put it," Ferzan answered.

The man promptly grabbed the couple's arms and pulled them away. "Well then you must come to the Cathedral immediately to reinstate your vows!"

Ferzan pulled his arm away and held his wife's shoulders. "We'll do no such thing if you are to disrespect our companions so!" he said.

The Elvaan released Isanlada's arm, a very heated argument going on in his mind. Finally, one side one and he sighed in defeat. He turned to Rio, Taya, and Cangon with a nervous smile. "I am truly sorry for the comment, I meant you no offense," he said. He saw Rio and Taya, their closeness being quite evident, and smiled wider. "Perhaps, as means of apology, we could have the to of you be wed in the Cathedral free of charge as well!"

Rio blushed violently. "What?!" he cried.

Taya wrapped her arms around Rio's and smiled. "Not yet," she said, squeezing Rio's arm. "But maybe someday."

"Well, until that day, my kind offer still lasts," the man said. He then turned back to Ferzan and Isanlada, grabbing their arms again and pulling them along, going on and on about plans for the vow reinstatements.

Mimila smiled and began to walk off slowly. "Well, I'm gonna go and look around. See if there's anything worth buying," she said as she left.

"I wanna come too!" Zenil said, bounding after the Mithra.

Cangon, Taya, and Rio waved goodbye to Ferzan, Isanlada, Mimila, and Zenil as they all walked away. Then they too took their own path and they began their adventure both behind and beyond the walls of San d'Oria.


	4. Mog House Checkin

_**I'M BACK!**_

As the three walked along through the city of San d'Oria, Cangon split off from Rio and Taya to go and do his own thing. Rio and Taya, now alone, were silent for a while as they walked down the streets. Through unspoken consent, they headed for the mog houses to check in and drop off some stuff. When they arrived, they headed into the room and dropped their extra items. "What do ya say to spending some time in San d'Oria? There are a lot of things to do around here, especially around this season, and we could just relax and have fun for a little while," Taya offered. Rio shrugged and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Sure, if you want to." He took off his two swords as well as his armor and donned a simple black tunic to match his pants. He lay down on the bed, his head up on the pillow, watching Taya as she went about her own things. He began to blush, though, as Taya undressed to her undergarments and placed her weapons down in a corner. She sighed and stretched, oblivious to Rio's reaction to her actions. Still not getting dressed, she yawned and walked over to the bed and sat beside Rio, calling over the moogle. She asked it to go and get her own black tunic and pants to match Rio and then lay down next to Rio as the moogle left.

Rio, trying to stay calm, shifted his weight a little bit and bent a knee to hide something he'd rather not have seen by Taya. Taya noticed the movement and looked up at Rio with a smile. "So what do you wanna do first?" she asked. Rio shrugged and attempted to divert his gaze, but couldn't. "Um, Taya," he murmured quietly. "Yes?" "Um, well, about before, um… did you really mean what you said? To the priest I mean?" Taya seemed puzzled. "What? You mean the 'maybe some day' thing?" Rio nodded, blushing a little brighter. Taya shrugged, then rolled over closer to Rio. "That would your decision," she said slightly seductively, a sly smile on her face, then she rolled away again as the moogle came with her clothing. Rio's eyes widened as what she said sunk in.


End file.
